The MWL and MPAC
Strongly Oppose French Ban on Religious Expression
December 18, 2003
The Muslim Women's League and the Muslim Public Affairs Council strongly
oppose the decision of the French government to ban Islamic headscarves
from public schools as a major affront to freedom of religion and
expression. The government also banned Jewish yarmulkes and large crosses
as worn by some Christians. This law moves France away from the freedom
loving democracies of the world towards a state-imposed religion, i.e.
secularism, that resembles the remnants of Communism as seen in countries
like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
In Islam, the headscarf, known as hijab, is not a religious symbol
analogous to a yarmulke or cross. Rather, for many Muslim women, it
completes an overall commitment to modest dress as mandated, according to
some, by the religious texts. The vast majority of Muslim women who
cover their hair do so out of a strong personal conviction and not to make
a political statement. As such, governments should not be in the
business of either forcing women to cover or uncover their hair. Nor
should they view the headscarf worn voluntarily as a threat to political
or other institutions.
Such laws only have the effect of
intensifying the attention placed on women's dress in Islam, instead of
promoting debate on issues that have a much greater impact on the lives of
women such as literacy, economic development and violence, all of which
are serious matters in the daily lives of Muslim women. A similar ban in
Turkey prevents women who wear hijab from sitting for their final exams in
professional school, taking jobs as civil servants and serving even as
elected representatives in the government. Is France headed in the same
direction, to institutionalize widespread discrimination against Muslim
women who wear this article of clothing?
Girls who wish to cover their hair and who are not allowed to do so in
school are at risk for not going to school at all. Many of the Muslim
immigrants in France are of lower socioeconomic status and do not have the
opportunities for private education as an alternative. Even if they did,
the flight of Muslims to their own schools can't possibly be seen as
beneficial to the goal of integration and assimilation that the French
authorities claim to be seeking.
Anti-immigrant sentiment targeting Muslims throughout Europe is plain and
simple racism. Much attention has been paid of late to increasing acts of
anti-Semitism targeting the Jewish community in Europe. We ask that the US
Commission on International Religious Freedom and the US Commission on
Security and Cooperation in Europe which have held conferences on
anti-Semitism in Europe, expand their work to that of other faith
communities and fully address the denial of religious freedom to Muslims
in Europe.
We call upon the leaders of Europe, starting with France, to lead their
people away from hatred and prejudice and towards tolerance and
understanding that would benefit all faith communities, including those
who choose not to belong to any religion at all. Banning scarves,
yarmulkes and crosses may be satisfying on a superficial level, but it
will not address the challenges faced by France's inability to deal with
the realities of its changing society. |
